Page 14: of Marine News Magazine (November 2010)

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14 MN November 2010

BOAT OF THE MONTH

Ribcraft delivered a specialized 30-ft Ribcraft 9.0 dive boat to the City of Boston Fire Department. The mission specific RIB was delivered to the Boston Fire

Department's Rescue Dive Team for search and rescue operations. The Ribcraft 9.0 is capable of supporting ten divers plus crew. It features a partially enclosed pilothouse with extended aluminum top, a drop down canvas enclo- sure for all weather protection, a large open aft deck, inte- grated dive ladder with platform and secure storage for over 12 dive tanks. The vessel is intended to support the department's dive operations year round. With durability, reliability and safety as one of the fire departments pri- mary requirements, the RIB features a reinforced vinylester hull and a heavy duty Hypalon tube with mul- tiple air chambers, pressure relief valves, high profile rub- strake and tube reinforcing. The boat will be referred to as

Marine Unit 3 and will be docked at Burroughs Wharf in the North End. It is named the Captain John F. Kenney.

The late Captain Kenney was a 29 year veteran of the

Boston Fire Department and a member of the Rescue

Dive Team. He died at the age of 48 after a long battle with cancer.

Capt. John F. Kenney

Specialized Ribcraft for Boston Fire Department

Specifications/Main Particulars:

Length, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29.6 ft

Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10.3 ft

Dead rise aft . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 degrees

Dead rise fwd . . . . . . . . . . . .40 degrees

Fuel capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135 gal

Engines . . . . . .2x 225 hp Evinrude E-TEC

Total power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .450 hp

Maximum speed . . . . . . . . . . . .50+ mph

Photo courtesy Ribcraft